Banknotes of the Swiss franc
Banknotes of the Swiss franc are issued by the Swiss National Bank in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 1,000 Swiss francs.
History
The first banknotes in Switzerland were issued in 1825 by the Caisse de dépôt of the city of Bern.[1]
During the 19th century the Cantons had the right of printing notes. Following the law of 8 March 1881 the Swiss National Bank had the exclusive right to issue banknotes in Switzerland. First notes were issued in 1907. Since then, eight series of Swiss franc notes have been printed, six of which have been released for use by the general public, and a new series is expected in 2016.[2]
Overview
Overview of all series of Swiss banknotes[3] | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Series | Introduction | Date recalled | Valueless since/from | Designer | Remark | |
1st | 1907 | 1 July 1925 | 1 July 1945 | Josef Storck and Albert Walch | Changeover notes, similar to notes used by earlier banks | |
2nd | 1911 | 1 October 1958 | 1 October 1978 | Eugène Burnand, Ferdinand Hodler, S. Balzer | ||
3rd | 1918 | 1 July 1925 | 1 July 1945 | Orell Füssli | War notes; only partially issued | |
4th | 1938 | — | — | Victor Surbeck and Hans Erni | Reserve series, never issued | |
5th | 1956 | 1 May 1980 | 1 May 2000 | Pierre Gauchat and Hermann Eidenbenz | ||
6th | 1976 | 1 May 2000 | 1 May 2020 | Ernst and Ursula Hiestand | ||
7th | — | — | — | Elisabeth and Roger Pfund | Reserve series; never issued | |
8th | 1995 | — | — | Jörg Zintzmeyer | Current series | |
9th | 2015 (planned) | — | — | Manuela Pfrunder | planned |
All series of Swiss banknotes
First series
1st series of Swiss banknotes[4] | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Value | Dimensions | Main Colour | Description | Date of | ||||
Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | issue | withdrawal | lapse | |||
50 francs | 166 × 103 mm | Green/Yellow | Helvetia | Ornaments | 20 June 1907 | 1 July 1925 | 1 July 1945 | ||
100 francs | 183 × 116 mm | Blue | Helvetia | Ornaments | |||||
500 francs | 199 × 126 mm | Green | Helvetia | Ornaments | |||||
1000 francs | 215 × 132 mm | Purple | Helvetia | Ornaments | |||||
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixels per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table. |
Second series
The second series of Swiss banknotes was issued between 1911 and 1914.
2nd series of Swiss banknotes[5] | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Value | Dimensions | Main Colour | Description | Date of | Notes | ||||
Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | issue | withdrawal | lapse | ||||
5 francs | 148 × 70 mm | Brown/Green | William Tell | Ornaments | 3 August 1914 | 1 May 1980 | 1 May 2000 | |||
10 francs | 135 × 82 mm | Brown/Yellow | Woman from Neuchâtel | Ornaments | — | — | — | Reserve note | ||
20 francs | 163 × 95 mm | Blue/purple | Vreneli | Ornaments | 31 July 1914 | 31 December 1935 | 1 January 1956 | |||
50 francs | 165 × 106 mm | Green | Woman's head | Woodcutter | 22 December 1911 | 1 October 1958 | 1 October 1978 | |||
100 francs | 181 × 115 mm | Dark blue | Woman's head | Reaper | 16 September 1911 | 1 October 1958 | 1 October 1978 | |||
500 francs | 200 × 125 mm | Red/Brown | Woman's head | Embroideres | 24 December 1912 | 1 October 1958 | 1 October 1978 | |||
1000 francs | 216 × 131 mm | Purple/Orange | Woman's head | Foundry | 16 September 1911 | 1 October 1958 | 1 October 1978 | |||
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixels per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table. |
Third series
The third series of Swiss banknotes was printed in 1918; some of the notes were issued as war notes, while others were kept as reserve.[6]
Fourth series
The fourth series of Swiss banknotes was printed in 1938 as a reserve series and was never issued.
4th series of Swiss banknotes[7] | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Value | Dimensions | Main Colour | Description | Date of issue | ||
Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | ||||
50 francs | 167 × 96 mm | Green | Woman's head | Bull | Never issued (reserve series) | ||
100 francs | 190 × 106 mm | Blue | Woman from Haslital | Ornaments | |||
500 francs | 210 × 116 mm | Brown-red | Woman's head | Chemistry | |||
1000 francs | 228 × 125 mm | Purple | Woman's head | Turbine | |||
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixels per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table. |
Fifth series
The fifth series of Swiss banknotes was issued starting in 1957.
5th series of Swiss banknotes[8] | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Value | Dimensions | Main Colour | Description | Designer | Date of | ||||
Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | issue | withdrawal | lapse | ||||
10 francs | 137 × 75 mm | Red-brown | Gottfried Keller | Bennet blossoms | Hermann Eidenbenz | 1 October 1956 | 1 May 1980 | 1 May 2000 | ||
20 francs | 155 × 85 mm | Blue | Guillaume-Henri Dufour | Thistle | 29 March 1956 | |||||
50 francs | 173 × 95 mm | Green | Head of a girl | Apple harvest | Pierre Gauchat | 14 June 1957 | ||||
100 francs | 191 × 105 mm | Dark blue | Head of a boy | St Martin | 14 June 1957 | |||||
500 francs | 210 × 115 mm | Brown-red | Head of a woman | Fountain of Youth | 14 June 1957 | |||||
1000 francs | 228 × 125 mm | Purple | Head of woman | Danse Macabre | 14 June 1957 | |||||
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixels per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table. |
Sixth series
6th series of Swiss banknotes[9] | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Value | Dimensions | Main Colour | Description | Date of | ||||
Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | issue | withdrawal | lapse | |||
10 francs | 137 × 66 mm | Red | Leonhard Euler | Water turbine, the solar system and a scheme of propagation of rays of light passing through lenses | 5 November 1979 | 1 May 2000 | 1 May 2020[10] | ||
20 francs | 148 × 70 mm | Blue | Horace-Bénédict de Saussure | Mountain range, a group of alpinists and the Ammonshorn | 4 April 1979 | ||||
50 francs | 159 × 74 mm | Green | Conrad Gessner | Eagle owl, primula, stars | 4 October 1978 | ||||
100 francs | 170 × 78 mm | Dark blue | Francesco Borromini | Upper part of the dome-tower as well as the floor plan of the church Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza | 4 October 1976 | ||||
500 francs | 181 × 82 mm | Brown | Albrecht von Haller | Muscular figure of a human body, graph of respiration and the circulation of the blood, and a purple orchis | 4 April 1977 | ||||
1000 francs | 192 × 86 mm | Purple | Auguste Forel | Three ants and a cross-section of an anthill | 4 April 1978 | ||||
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixels per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table. |
Seventh series
A seventh series of Swiss banknotes was designed and printed in 1984, in parallel with the sixth series, but was never released. It formed the reserve series, to be released, for example, if the current series would suddenly become widely counterfeited. At first, almost no information was released on the series for security reasons, except for small fragments. However, after the eighth series was released, it was decided to improve the security features of the current series rather than develop a new reserve series. The details of the seventh series were later released, while the actual banknotes were destroyed. The designers were Roger Pfund and Elisabeth Pfund. They had originally won the competition for the design of the sixth series, but since the Swiss National Bank decided to use the design by Ernst and Ursula Hiestand instead, the Pfunds were charged with the design of the reserve series.[11][12]
7th series of Swiss banknotes[9] | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Value | Dimensions | Main Colour | Description | Date of issue | ||
Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | ||||
10 francs | 137 × 66 mm | Red-brown | Leonhard Euler; development of the polyhedron, the bridges of Königsberg | Gamma function; table for the calculation of numbers; diagram of the Solar System | Never issued (reserve series) | ||
20 francs | 148 × 70 mm | Blue | Horace-Bénédict de Saussure; quartz crystals; Hornblende beam | Hair hygrometer, view of the valley of Chamonix and the Mont Blanc massif; expedition to the Tacul glacier | |||
50 francs | 159 × 74 mm | Green | Conrad Gessner; branch of a dwarf cherry tree; foliage of the bush | Golden eagle (based on a woodcut from Gessner's Historiae animalium); "Metamorphosis of animals"; Latin text from the Historiae Animalium referring to the seven-headed hydra | |||
100 francs | 170 × 78 mm | Dark blue | Francesco Borromini; architectural motif from the Basilica of St. John Lateran | Raising of the lantern and the spire of Sant'Ivo alla Sapienza; floor plan of San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane; dove and olive branch | |||
500 francs | 181 × 82 mm | Brown | Albrecht von Haller;hexagonal structure of the cell; cell tissue | 18th century anatomy plate; x-ray of the human thorax; mountains, referring to his poem "The Alps" | |||
1000 francs | 192 × 86 mm | Purple | Louis Agassiz; structure of the surface of a shellfish | Head, skeleton and fossil of a perch; structure of the scales of a perch; ammonite | |||
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixels per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table. |
Eighth series
The eighth series of Swiss franc banknotes, designed by Jörg Zintzmeyer, entered circulation in 1995.
8th (current) series of Swiss banknotes[13] | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Value | Dimensions | Main Colour | Obverse | Date of issue | Reverse | |
Obverse | Reverse | ||||||
10 francs | 126 × 74 mm | Yellow | Le Corbusier | 8 April 1997 | Ground plan, government district of Indian city of Chandigarh | ||
20 francs | 137 × 74 mm | Red | Arthur Honegger | 1 October 1996 | mouvement symphonique Pacific 231 | ||
50 francs | 148 × 74 mm | Green | Sophie Taeuber-Arp | 3 October 1995 | Tête Dada, 1919 | ||
100 francs | 159 × 74 mm | Blue | Alberto Giacometti | 1 October 1998 | L'Homme qui marche I | ||
200 francs | 170 × 74 mm | Brown | Charles Ferdinand Ramuz | 1 October 1997 | Lac de Derborence/Diablerets, Lavaux | ||
1000 francs | 181 × 74 mm | Purple | Jacob Burckhardt | 1 April 1998 | Palazzo Strozzi, Firenze | ||
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixels per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table. |
Ninth series
In 2005, the Swiss National Bank held a competition to determine the design of the next series of banknotes. The competition was won by Manuel Krebs, but his designs, which include depictions of blood cells and embryos, were met with sufficient opposition from the general public as to discourage the bank from going forward with them.[14] As a result, the ninth series of Swiss franc banknotes will be based on designs by second place finalist Manuela Pfrunder.[15] The series was scheduled to be issued around 2010 but was delayed to 2015 due to technical problems in the production.[2][16] The new 50 franc banknotes will be issued in April 2016.
Security and counterfeiting
According to the central banks, the ratio of counterfeited bank notes is about 1 in 100,000 of real bank notes for the Swiss franc, of 1 in 20,000 for the Euro, of 1 in 10,000 for the United States dollar and of 1 in 3,333 for the Pound sterling.[18]
See also
Notes and references
- ↑ Billets de banque in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland. ; A. Meier: Monnaies....
- 1 2 Curtis, Malcolm (27 Mar 2013). "Swiss money really is dirty: UK scientists". The Local (Switzerland edition). Retrieved 3 July 2013.
The Swiss National Bank, responsible for producing Switzerland’s money, is planning to introduce new banknotes in 2015 after several delays due to technical problems with paper.
- ↑ All banknote series of the SNB, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ↑ First banknote series 1907, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ↑ Second banknote series 1911, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ↑ Third banknote series 1918, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ↑ Fourth banknote series 1938, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ↑ Fifth banknote series 1957, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 30 September 2007.
- 1 2 Sixth banknote series 1976, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ↑ Sixth series, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 30 August 2012.
- ↑ Seventh banknote series, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 30 September 2007.
- ↑ Jean-Marc Côté, "Habiller l'argent : Roger Pfund", Bulletin de l'Association des Numismates Francophones du Canada. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ↑ Eighth banknote series 1995, on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ↑ Swiss distressed over currency redesign, 8 December 2005 article on the website of the International Herald Tribune. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ↑ New banknotes project on the website of the Swiss National Bank. Last accessed 1 June 2007.
- ↑ Press release of 13 december 2012: Issue of new banknote series delayed. Last accessed 5 September 2012
- ↑ An overview of the security features, Swiss National Bank (page visited on 11 October 2013).
- ↑ (French) Michel Beuret, "Les mystères de la fausse monnaie", Allez savoir !, no. 50, May 2011.
Bibliography
- Michel de Rivaz, The Swiss banknote: 1907–1997. Genoud, 1997. ISBN 2-88100-080-0
- Albert Meier: Monnaies - Billets de Banque. Suisse - Liechtenstein 1798-1995. Hünibach 1996
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Banknotes of Switzerland. |